Tesselaar Tulip Festival 2024 in Melbourne

The Tesselaar Tulip Festival, the largest flower festival on the continent, honors the awakening of nature from winter in Australia. The festival takes place every September and October in Silvan, located within 60 minutes of Melbourne. With more than a million spring flowering bulbs and live entertainment every day, The Tesselaar Tulip Festival is a kaleidoscope of color and a feast for all senses!

Festival Highlights

Immerse yourself in the fantasy land, wandering around the magical gardens, meeting the fairies, and indulging in traditional Dutch foods and other delicacies. Plenty of photo ops await on the blooming fields, around garden displays, and against the replica Dutch Windmills. Don't forget to snap a shot of the biggest Dutch clog in the world and take a Tulip Tractor ride, Visitors can count on live entertainment for the whole family every day of the festival: music, performances, classes, treasure hunt, and much more.

Entertainment Schedule

The Clog Dancing Workshop takes place every day (except Children’s Days) at 11:30 am and 2 pm. The Historic Cheese Market performance, where you can see how Dutch cheeses were bought and sold, starts at 1 pm. The Tractor Train departs from the Tulip Station regularly, providing a full farm tour with audio full of information. Tickets are $5, children under 4 are free of charge. Groups of four are $15.

2024 Themed Weekends

Thanks to a diverse and rich entertainment program, the festival has become a favorite for families. Each weekend is devoted to a particular theme. During Turkish weekend, which runs on September 14-15, guests of the park can listen to Turkish music, watch dance shows, and, of course, taste Turkish cuisine. Dutch weekend on September 21-22 pays tribute to the culture and traditions of the Netherlands. Children's Week runs from September 23 to 26 with lots of special entertainment for the little ones. The Jazz Weekend on September 27-29 boasts a unique atmosphere thanks to music played all day long. Rock the Fields Weekend on October 5-6 features live music from the 50’s and 60’s..The Irish weekend on October 12-13 features Celtic music, food, and drinks.

Tickets and Hours

Tesselaar Tulip Festival runs from 10 am to 5 pm every day. General admission tickets to the festival are $33.50. Children 16 and under get a free entry. A $10 discount per ticket is offered during the Spring Fever Week. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome. Parking at the festival is free.

Vendors

Every day, the festival offers an array of delicious foods, such as Dutch Poffertjes, Croquettes, Belgian Fries, Dutch Kibbeling (fish), Reifkoek (Dutch potato cakes), Frikandellen (sausage), Gozleme, Potato Twisters, Cakes, Calamari, Double Dutch Soft Serve, and more. Prices range from $3 to $23. In addition, market stalls offer thousands of unique souvenirs and wares. Many are imported directly from the Netherlands, like tulips and wooden clogs.

Festival History

The Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Australia dates back to 1954. Since then, more than half a million bulbs have been planted in the Dandenong Ranges National Park! At some point, there were so many tulips that for the planting of new ones it was necessary to expand the already rather large territory of the park.